Atlas at work · fictional project

From a report request
to a working specification.

A purchasing team wants project costs in its existing report. Follow the question, inspect the detail and see what changes in the work.

01The request

A small request.
An important distinction.

“Add project costs to the purchasing report.”

The existing specification shows one row per purchase-order item. “Costs” does not yet say whether the team means actual postings or outstanding commitment.

Inspect the project material

Existing report specification · fictional excerpt

“Display one row per purchase-order item. Retain the existing selection filters and item totals.”

The proposed allocation detail preserves this requirement. The applicable SAP source still depends on the project’s release and configuration.

02Clarification

First, agree what “project costs” means.

Project material Purchasing report · specification

“Can we add project costs to the purchasing report?”

Atlas

Actual postings, or outstanding purchase-order commitment?

Eva Outstanding commitment. Keep one row per PO item.

A clearer requirement

Show WBS allocations in item detail. Keep the item total once.

Read the proposed specification

Illustrative conversation · fictional project

Read the clarification

Atlas: Should the report show costs already posted or purchasing commitments that remain outstanding?

Eva: Outstanding commitment. Keep the current filters and item totals. We also need to see how an item is allocated to WBS elements.

03SAP detail

Check the allocation without changing the report’s meaning.

Several allocation rows can belong to one purchase-order item. Keep that item once in the main report and place its allocations in the detail.

Purchase-order item4500000123 / 00010

Outstanding commitment10,000 EUR

WBS A6,000 EUR60% allocation

WBS B4,000 EUR40% allocation

Two allocations. One item total.Synthetic values · reporting date still to be agreed

Jonas’s check

Compare the item commitment with its WBS allocations in equivalent examples. Confirm the currency and reporting-date basis before drawing a conclusion.

Jonas returnedWBS allocation handling

Commitment confirmed; reporting date still unresolved.

A colleague’s answer stays beside the work it informs.Review proposed update

The return supports the allocation design. It does not settle the reporting date or select the applicable SAP source.

04Proposed update

Review what changes in the specification.

Current wording

Display one row per purchase-order item. Retain the existing selection filters and item totals.

Purchasing report requirementsProposed changes

01
WBS allocation detail
Show allocations beneath their purchase-order item.
02
One row still means one PO item
Count the item once, including split assignments.
03
Currency and reporting date
Total each currency separately. Reporting date remains to be agreed.

The existing filters and item totals remain. These passages are proposed, not applied. The consultant reviews them before updating the working specification.

Implementation and test detail

The developer confirms the applicable SAP source for this project’s release and account-assignment setup. No universal table or field is assumed.

A single assignment preserves the item amount.
Split assignments reconcile without duplicating the item total.
Different currencies remain separately totalled.
The reporting-date rule and its boundary test remain open until agreed.

Work through your own SAP question with Atlas.